This is not the huge reference guide that the out-of-print Thread Thesaurus is. It concentrates on the threads we use most today. I expect it will be of greatest use to those who have to mail order their threads, but we'll have to wait until threadaholics get their mitts on copies to know for sure.

I think I want one with a pink cover. Does Ruth know what we like or what?!!

This morning I visited Liz Morrow's blog and discovered she is blending elements from Tony Minieri's Stars for the New Millennium with elements from Pam Gardner's From Molehill to Mountain to create a border for her From Molehill interpretation since both finished pieces will live in the same room. Liz is making them harmonious by creating a border where there was none before. If you are curious, here is how she is going about it.http://lizartblog.blogspot.com/search/label/From%20Molehill%20to%20Mountain

Seeing this reminded me that I needed to update the Counted Canvaswork Designers tab with a mention of Pam's masterpiece, so I did. If you aren't familiar with Pam's design, you can check it out further there. I've also added Betty Chen Louis, Joan Gantt and a few other designers to the counted list, just in case you are interested. M. reminded me that designers and teachers whose work is only available via eBay belong on the list, even if it is just to alert folks to the fact that they created wondrous things worthy of belonging in our stashes.

If you are a shop carrying the From Molehill to Mountain chart book, please let me know. I couldn't find anyone who had it except Amazon affiliates and I'd prefer a link to a needlepoint shop if possible. I did find some nice photos, though.Written by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright February 23, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Pocket Full of Stitches is posting photos of their new designs as they come into the shop. Today's posting is particularly interesting if you need to stitch a super hero for a fan of Captain America, Batman and Robin, or Superman.You also might be interested in stitching a real super hero--a fireman--from The Studio. These little designs (many which come with capes) are meant to be stitched and hung on a miniature hanger as ornaments. Super for that little boy in your house (or heart)!http://pocketfullofstitches.blogspot.com/2014/02/gone-stitching-studio.html

(The Studio also has a fire engine and a London bus if you have a Harry Potter fan on your hands.)Written by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Hope you are back online, MA! I love the new Alice Petersen Madonna and Child piece!Written by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright Feb. 22, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Fans of Day of the Dead-themed canvases will have noticed Tapestry Fair introduced a new Manuel Salas canvas at the January Market. It's called Last Tango and shows a dancing couple under a crystal chandelier. What happened to them? Did they find each other in the Land of the Dead? Did they die on the dance floor in a hail of gunfire from a jealous rival?http://www.tapestryfair.com/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=67&Itemid=1

Monday, February 24, 2014

I decided that I wanted something for Santa to stand on, so I created an optional border under his feet. It is up to you whether you want to add this, depending on how you plan to finish your Russian Santa.

Sheena’s Snowflake is 12 threads high and wide. The blue snowflakes are stitched with the Kreinik navy #018 size 8 fine braid. Count down four empty threads below the bottom of Santa’s robe and one thread from the edge and put in two snowflakes, one on each side. Now count over six threads and start the next snowflake in toward the center. Do this on both sides so you have four snowflakes total. Now count all the empty threads remaining in the center and divide by two so you know where to center the fifth snowflake. Note that you may have an odd number of threads and will have one more empty thread on one side of the central snowflake in the series of five snowflakes. That won’t matter.

Step One: Blue Snowflakes

Here is a photo of the snowflakes I stitched.

The next step is to add the icicles at the bottom of the border using one of the Kreinik silver metallics already used in this project. I used the Kreinik size 4 very fine braid in #001HL but it might be better to use the size 8 fine braid #001L holographic silver as the size 4 doesn’t cover well. I ended up going over my stitches twice to cover with the size 4 but I didn’t want the heavy shimmer of the holographic silver so I stuck with the 001LH Choose whichever thread you prefer or use 001HL in size 8 or even larger size 16 if you happen to have it in your stash.

Step Two: Silver Icicles

The icicles are done in straight and slanting stitches. I positioned the icicle bottoms five threads from the bottom of the snowflake stitches. Because everyone is likely to have a slightly different width of their border, I can’t tell you exactly how many stitches of each size you will need or where to put them exactly. The best I can do is to is to tell you to place the longest stitches that make up the slanting triangle in the middle between two blue snowflakes. Then position the longer straight stitches under the middle of the snowflakes. Then fill in with the shorter straight stitches, putting 1, 2 or 3 of them between each longer straight stitch. Icicles don’t form regularly so this will look ok, but if this drives you nuts, then repeat the top silver edge described below when I talk about the background stitch for the border at the bottom instead of creating silver icicles. Here are the icicles diagrammed with a Sheena Snowflake.

The next step is to position sequins on either side of the central blue snowflake. I used square silver sequins turned to make a diamond shape, attached with straight stitches done in silver Accentuate coming up from the center hole to the middle of each edge. Once the sequins are firmly attached, use the Accentuate to attach a light blue Swarovski bicone crystal in the middle of the sequin. Note that you can substitute any combination of sequins or beads you like or have handy here. Cartwright’s carries snowflake sequins of various sizes and colors, for example.http://www.ccartwright.com

Step Three: Add Sequins and Bicones

Now you have to add the background stitches behind the icicles, snowflakes and sequins. I used Upright Crosses with two plies of the darker blue Splendor #S914 but you may wish to use three plies for better coverage if your stitch tension is tighter than mine. For the very first row, the one directly under Santa’s feet, do not use the blue silk—use your Kreinik 4 very fine braid in #001HL for just one row of Upright Crosses, then change to the blue silk to do all the rest of the background rows. Having one row of silver divides the border from the rest of the design. Here is Upright Crosses diagrammed.

Upright Crosses Background

Note on the diagram I occasionally I skipped an Upright Cross and left that space empty. The diagram has a red bead and red thread lines added where an Upright Cross should be. Use the photo of the finished border to position your empty spots or scatter them as you prefer. The blue diamond on the side of the diagram is supposed to be a sequin, attached with thread and held down with a Swarovski blue bicone.

I used tent stitches and reverse tent stitches between the interior areas of the Kreinik snowflakes. You may be able to put a full Upright Cross between the arms but mostly you will need to compensate so I just went with tent stitches, carefully moving the Krenik aside to slide my needle full of silk into position when necessary.

Steps 4-6: Upright Crosses, Beads and Backstitches

Once the Upright Crosses are done, stitch four straight lines to make a diamond shaped box in the spaces where you omitted an Upright Cross, using a strand of the glow-in-the-dark Petite Treasure Braid PB300 (not the Petite Silk Lame Braid). In the diagram for Upright Crosses you will see the box shown in red lines. You may use the regular white instead of glow-in-the-dark thread if you prefer. When the boxes are all done, fill each center with one of the Clear Crystal Aurora Borealis beads also used in the background. I attached my beads using the Petite Treasure Braid PB300 but you may have to use a doubled ply of white cotton floss if your beads have central holes too small for the Petite Treasure Braid to fit. In the diagram for Upright Crosses, the red dot is the bead in the center of a box.

The final step is to use the Kreinik size 4 very fine braid in #001HL to back stitch across the top of the silver row of Upright Crosses to further separate the border from the rest of the design. I made each back stitch the same length, over four threads, but you can make yours longer or shorter to fit across the length of your border. If you ended up using another silver thread for the icicles, use the same thread for the single row of Upright Crosses in the background and the backstitches.

Questions? Email me at chillyhollow @ hotmail.com and I'll get back to you by the next day. I'm going to work some on the background, which I have sadly neglected, and then start to tackle the last section of this canvas--Blue Russia's ermine trim.

Written by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright February 23, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Mary Corbet reviews the new Stumpwork Flowers book from Sachiko Morimoto. It looks like the perfect book to learn simple stumpwork to enhance your needlepoint canvases!http://www.needlenthread.com/2014/02/stumpwork-flowers-book-review.htmlWritten by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Sunday, February 23, 2014

The latest Quail's Quill newsletter for Feb. 2014 is available from Quail Run. It is full of photos of customer finishes and photos of a Laura Taylor embellishment class. Click on the magnifier at the top to see better.http://edition.pagesuite-professional.co.uk//launch.aspx?pbid=69bfa3f1-dd93-4618-b806-6880fc346117Written by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright Feb. 19, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

This doesn't really apply to needlepoint canvas, which rarely puckers these days because needlepoint canvas is stiffer than linens and cottons and also we generally use a frame, but I thought Trish Burr's article on preventing puckering in hand embroidery might be of interest since so many of us do other forms of handwork besides just needlepoint.http://trishburr.com/2014/02/04/no-more-puckers/

Saturday, February 22, 2014

Sue has done all of us Olympics fans a favor--she's created a free interlocking rings chart to use. Now you have something pertinent to stitch while watching the games! Thanks, Sue. That was really great of you!http://sudukc.wordpress.com/2014/02/20/olympics-needlepoint/Written by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright February 21, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

M's Canvashouse is teaming up with Share One's Ideas on an exclusive Halloween canvas to be stitched as a mystery class. The Mystery Magic Hat Class design has five different witch hats in a row, each different and unique. The class starts in May with a new lesson shipped out every six weeks or so plus messages from Meredith Willet (the M in M's Canvashouse) who is creating this mystery experience for you. Alas, there is no photograph on their website but if you email the shops, I bet they will send you one to see the starting point.http://www.mscanvashouse.com/index.html

I've added information from the Nashville Market at the top of the Winter TNNA tab but since I am not sure the counted folks know that, I am also including Debbie's information here. Don't miss checking out her free counted design (right hand column) or the photo of her newest design, "Royal Garden," which is lovely!

By the way, many thanks to the counted canvaswork admirers who have been correctly and adding to the information included in the Counted Designers tab. I couldn't have compiled all this without your help!Written by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright Feb. 19, 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Jane is a specialist in stumpwork and has written a great many books on this topic. Her dragonflies one is especially wonderful to me, but they are all worth looking for. Thanks for the tip, Mary!Written by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

If you get Needlepoint Now, you have been admiring Joan Eidman's St. Nicholas canvases which are being featured in the magazine. Joan got to go to Market in January (she's a professional musician whose performance schedule means she often is busy during Markets) and luckily reported back on everything she saw and did. http://joaneidman.com/tnna/

This Etsy site shows off the decorative types available. Any crafts emporium with a big scrapbooking section will probably carry Washi tape. Hobby Lobby, here I come!http://www.etsy.com/shop/PrettyTape

Laura Perin is going to run her popular Purple Daisy cyberclass again. This is a fun way to learn techniques like messy beading or shadow stitching, using a photo transfer canvas as the basis for your stitching. You can also learn how to build a complex border from simple elements by watching Laura's border techniques. It's not very expensive and it is guaranteed to be fun.http://two-handedstitcher.blogspot.com/2014/01/ready-for-some-spring-flowers.htmlWritten by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, February 18, 2014

Thanks to some help from Mary Agnes on Facebook, I discovered that The Binding Stitch has a new finishing book out. I have not seen it but their very expensive video series on finishing was very popular. The six volume set is still available in DVD format, by the way. Marcia Brown also offers online finishing courses. If anyone on the Cape can tell us about any of these, I'd love to know more!http://www.bindingstitch.com

Oh, boy! Callaway Garden's School of Needle Arts has posted their 2015 class schedule!http://www.callawaygardens.com/events/education-and-culture/callaway-gardens-school-of-needle-arts/course-descriptionsI absolutely love Joan Thomasson's Peace Angel but there is a lot to see and enjoy here. Betsy Morgan's teaching (love her counted sampler smalls!) and Marnie Ritter is going to be there. And who would want to miss a class with Carole Lake and Michael Boren? The Japanese Embroidery designs and silk metal work from Kay Stanis are outstanding as well. What's your favorite?Written by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Here is the shop website so you can do a little exploring of your own. It's a fun browse! Wish we could all visit in person....http://www.needlepointsltd.com/home1.htmlWritten by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Look at the background. It's columns of varying widths of satin stitch, gradually increasing as you look from right to left. Isn't that a clever background?! The next time I am totally stumped as to how to handle a background, I'll remember this.

Peggi of Tapestry Fair has come up with a magnet-needle threader combo she is test driving in a class this weekend. Hopefully this will keep her threader on the magnet with her needles and she'll be willing to sell them to those of us who can't get our threaders to stick to our magnets and are always losing them. Fingers crossed, everyone!http://tapestryfair.blogspot.com/2014/01/for-valentines-day.html?showComment=1391177870320#c2474464774307916183Written by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, February 15, 2014

Everyone is fiddling with their newsletters, it seems. Amy Bunger's gone to a bi-monthly version and now Quail Run has introduced The Covey. a shorter version of their newsletter with lots of quick fun. After all, writing a monthly newsletter is a lot of work! The Covey is meant to be a quick update while the regular monthly newsletter will continue. Here's the inaugural edition! It is full of links to click to be taken to their website or Pinterest page to see the items mentioned.http://siterepository.s3.amazonaws.com/510/02_2014_thecovey.pdfWritten by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Friday, February 14, 2014

Kurdy Biggs has a new design on her Threedles website called "Butterfly Effects." It celebrates the curve and non-rectangular designs. It's beautiful!http://www.threedles.com/06012011/2014/ButterflyEffect/ButterflyEffect.htmlWritten by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Today's Valentine's Day. Mostly my love is of the painted canvas variety but today I'm celebrating St. Valentine's Day with a treat for the counted canvaswork stitchers among us. I have created two new tabs--one listing all the online shops that have a great variety of needlepoint charts for your stitching pleasure and one listing all the online designers and teachers who have canvas work pieces to purchase. These went live last night before I headed off to bed.Since I am not a counted person I've asked for help from my stitching friends to compile these lists and I know they aren't complete. If you have other sources or designers or know of a shop that has a very large range of charts created with canvaswork in mind (I'm not talking cross stitch charts here, but charts for needlepoint) please let me know by leaving a Comment below or emailing me at chillyhollow at hot maildot com and I will add to the lists for you. Thanks!By the way, for you counted folks, Laura Perin has a new Valentine's Day Wreath. It's lovely! It might even be better than chocolate.... No? You are right. Second-best, then!http://two-handedstitcher.blogspot.com/2014/02/hearts-flowers-friday.html

For other new designs from counted folks, check the Winter TNNA tab where I am posting the new items for the Nashville cross stitch market that are counted canvas work. H

Written by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Thursday, February 13, 2014

Everybody is stitching snow it seems! Even I am stitching snowflakes although I am pretty sure I'll be shoveling them tomorrow as we are supposed to get from 10-18 inches have two feet of snow already and more is predicted. I am sick of winter but luckily Ada of Eye Candy is stitching a cheerful snowflake star for winter to bring us out of our doldrums.http://eyecandyneedleart.blogspot.com/2014/02/canvas-of-week-holiday-star.html

Vicky DeAngelis is adding a little snow to her life by stitching the Patches snowman from Pepperberry Designs. This will be a class at Newport Needlepoint in Costa Mesa, California. Bet if you call and beg you can have him boxed up and shipped to your door even if you aren't close enough to take the class. http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/so-what-am-i-stitching-these-days/

I hope these snow projects charm you even as you dig out from another storm in This Winter That Never Ends.

Written by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Carol and her friend Christine have designed a counted band sampler to raise funds for the Embroiderer's Guild of South Australia. I thought the counted canvas work folks would love to see Carol's tribute to her Guild. You can pick up a copy of the sampler by following the link or by going straight to the second URL below although you probably will have to talk to the Guild about shipping charges before you buy.http://carolscountedcanvasworkneedleworks.blogspot.com/2014/01/the-new-sampler-ta-da.html

Tuesday, February 11, 2014

Nimble Needle has the Bracha Levee trunk show from Julia's Needleworks in the shop right now. I normally put trunk show sales in the Trunk Shows and Sales tab but this one is special in that Nimble Needle talks about the originals that the canvases come from and has links to the Bracha Levee website (second link) which has more information on the original tapestries and a video.http://thenimbleneedle.blogspot.com/2014/02/brach-lavee-part-ii-20-savings-too.html

Sheena has decided to play around with designing a band sampler. She started with snowflake motifs, which is totally appropriate as the snow is coming down hard in Chilly Hollow today! I am sure the counted canvaswork folks among us will enjoy stitching with Sheena as she comes up with a new band periodically as her sore hand permits. http://www.sheenasstitches.com/band-one-started/

Susan M. very kindly allowed me to post a progress photo of her Northern Light Santa. She's finished her background's first step (she's WAY ahead of me there!) and stitched Santa's staff, robe and fur cuffs, his diadem and hat, and beard with mustache. I love how she is customizing her Russian Santa to suit herself. Her beard is much more realistic than my stylized one. She has also added snow under his feet and omitted the gray shading on his fur cuff. I love the way the snow is shaped! She used the same glow-in-the-dark white Petite Silk Lame Braid I used and thinks the effect in the dark is very cool!

Thanks for allowing me to show this off, Susan. It is lot of fun to see all the different Russian Santas as they are being worked. Each has the distinct personality of its creator being added with every stitch.

Written by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Monday, February 10, 2014

Trish Burr has announced her newest book.It is full of small needle painted designs based on vintage illustrations. If you are a fan of Victorian design or just want small pieces to practice your realism on, this might be the book for you. The release date has not been confirmed yet.http://trishburr.com/2014/01/28/new-book-3/Written by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Morning all! Welcome back to the Blue Russian blog-stitch! I should mention I've added new threads to the Materials List. They are in bold blue so they will jump out at you. Remember, I reorganized the supplies list by manufacturer (roughly) to make it easier for you to go shopping, so do check the list carefully to make sure you didn't overlook something.

Keep working the background if you haven't finished it. I need to order a second card of the SP17 Petite Silk Lame Braid. Once I have that I will finish step one of Staggered Crosses and then finish the beading in step two. It all takes a while but is nice uncomplicated stitching once you get in the rhythm of it all. (Hello, Olympics!)

I had originally intended to work on the ermine trim on Santa's outer robe this week, but I decided that the front of his inner robe needed to be stitched first, otherwise the fur trim was going to constantly get in the way. So today's lesson is all about the blue snowflake robe Northern Light Santa wears.

I thought a blackwork pattern, particularly one of Ann Strite-Kurz's lovely designs, would be perfect but I decided in the end that I would stick to the design as painted and try to recreate the look of an antique mesh purse. Are you familiar with these? The metal interlocking mesh looks like chain mail painted with a design. Both of my mother's older sisters had purses like these. They were all the rage in the 1920s. They are beautiful to handle. The mesh flows like liquid metal fabric but has a silver glint to the painted design. Here is a selection of metal mesh purses to give you an idea of my inspiration.http://www.pinterest.com/larynh/mesh-purses/

To recreate this look for Santa's robe, you need to use a modified Or Nue' technique. Classic Or Nue' uses colored silks to couch gold metal threads, with the silks creating the pattern on top of the gold. Check out what Anna Scott (former editor of Inspirations magazine) is creating in Or Nue' on her blog--this is what Medieval embroiderers did on ecclesiastical garments. Note that the silks are added in irregular areas to make the pattern.http://annascottembroidery.blogspot.com/2014/02/queen-bee-takes-flight.html

What I am doing is a bit more like Burden stitch as the couching pattern is regular. I will use a brick stitch-like couching stitch over a silver Kreinik base. Here is the basic stitch--

The brick stitches that couch down the underlying long stitches are indicated in the blue and black straight lines. You can create a pattern by changing the color of the tie down threads and that's what we will do.

As you can see, each channel of the needlepoint canvas has a line of metallic thread (the silver holographic Kreinik #001L in size 8 fine braid) across it (the red arrows in the chart). The stitch is worked one row at a time. Lay down the silver in a row between two canvas threads, then couch it in place using a "brick stitch over two" pattern with either two plies of the Splendor lighter blue S860 or the Splendor darker blue S914 or one strand of the glow-in-the-dark white Petite Treasure Braid PB300* or one strand of the Kreinik 001L. Note that you will need to slide the needle creating the brick stitches under the silver thread of the previous row. (If you don't have a good color copy of your Santa to use as a reference already, make a copy before you start on the snowflake robe.)

*You can substitute regular white Petite Treasure Braid PB10 for the glow-in-the-dark version. Note that I did NOT use the white Petite Silk Lame Braid because it is a little too fat to couch the silver Kreinik with. All my couching threads need to be roughly the same diameter.

The secret for a nice smooth look is to work one row completely before starting the next. Lay down the base line of silver, making sure it isn't twisted or too loose, then work from one side of the robe to the other, changing colors as you go to match the underlying paint job. Use your color copy of the canvas to help tell where the colors change if necessary. Manage all those needles and threads, keeping them well out of the way of each other so you don't tangle things on the back. (I used lots of magnets to park my needles to keep them out of the way.) I worked from the bottom up but you can work from the top down if you prefer. When you finish, go back to the first row and do small compensating straight vertical stitches to create a smooth edge. Here is a photo of the robe underway, so you can see the sparkle this technique creates. It is even more prominent in person but cameras are blind to bling.

The Or Nue' Snowflake Robe Under Construction

With the Olympics in Russia on television this week, this is a good area to stitch since it is not complicated. Just keep the various threads you aren't currently using out of each other's way until you need them again so you don't tangle them on the back side. I will post in two weeks on the next area since the Or Nue' technique takes a while and most of us still have background to work on as well.

Before I forget, Vicky DeAngelis is promising to blog-stitch another Russian Santa. She has chosen the Holly Hills Santa. Isn't it fun to see all the different versions of Leigh's little Santas? http://mostlyneedlepoint.com/snow-snow-go-away/

Questions? Email me at chillyhollow @ hotmail.com and I'll get back to you by the next day.Written by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

I'm pretty sure "another month, another queen" is what Henry VIII's subjects were thinking as the queens changed with some regularity!Luckily our new queen is being stitched by the capable hands of Lori Carter, not executed and replaced. All the queens are from Rogue Needlepoint and the guides are available from Amy's Golden Strand. I think this is Katherine Parr, partly stitched, courtesy of Amy's Golden Strand FB page.https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=732934146717565&set=a.676354722375508.1073741830.189965167681135&type=1&theaterYou can see two of the finished queens on Amy's website, last two photos on this page. Anne of Cleves is in the red gown while Catherine of Aragon is in black.http://www.amybunger.com/Finished_Gallery.htmlThe whole series is on the Rogue Needlepoint site. Queens Mary and Elizabeth I and Edward VI are still to be designed. Kudos to Lori for designing a setting for each queen, to Rogue Needlepoint for the original designs, and to Amy Bunger for pulling it all together for our enjoyment.http://www.rogueneedlepoint.com/royalty.htmlWritten by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Needlepoint is easy? Well, I guess it can be, but the author's obviously never met Tony Minieri!

You don't see Martha Stewart or Julia Roberts carrying NP supplies? Julia needlepoints (although she is better known for her knitting) and Martha Stewart used to publish needlepoint pillow charts in her Martha Stewart Living magazine. I haven't read it in years, though, and her website doesn't have any needlepoint on it.

...but a project that cost $150 plus $100 for threads would not be considered really expensive today.

Although the article purports to be about how the author likes needlepoint, I don't get that sense. Maybe she likes it in spite of herself thinking it is just for dumb dowdy hicks with no taste or style and more money than sense? Needlepoint isn't cool?

Who cares? (Except for the NY Times.)

I think I'm starting to get a headache....

Written by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Saturday, February 8, 2014

Today is Hari Kuyo in Japan, the Festival of Broken Needles and the official end of the New Year's celebrations.In a little while I will take my little jar of old needles I have collected all year, wrap them in colorful tissue paper, tie them with a bright ribbon, and carefully wrap the package a second time in aluminum foil before putting them in the trash can. I don't want to put them into tofu and bury them or toss the tofu into the river so the annual trip with the trash man will have to do. I am very grateful to my needles. What would we do without them?http://www.odditycentral.com/events/hari-kuyo-japans-unique-memorial-service-for-broken-needles.html

Look what Jenny's son got her for her birthday-- a tote bag made from vintage needlepoint!http://jennyhenrydesigns.wordpress.com/2014/01/25/the-gift/French Country Chic is the name of the Etsy shop where Jenny's boy earned high marks. Hopefully the owner will have returned from vacation by the time you see this and we can all explore.http://www.etsy.com/shop/FrenchDecoChicWritten by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Although this isn't spooky, big cats are a little frightening, don't you think? Ridgewood just got new tuffet canvases in the shop (I think they are from Trubey but I am not certain) and shows off a finished photo of them made up into a tuffet footstool. Fascinating! It's perfect for those who are wild of heart or who have a den that Hemingway would feel at home in.http://ridgewoodneedlepoint.blogspot.com/2014/02/these-tuffet-canvases-just-came-into.htmlWritten by Jane/Chilly HollowBlogging at http://chillyhollownp.blogspot.comand at http://chstitchguides.blogspot.com@ Copyright 2014 Jane M. Wood. All rights reserved.

Ruth Schmuff is starting her newest Mystery with a Twist class. This is a mail order class that spans a long period, with periodic updates (and wonderful packages) from Bedecked and Beadazzled. There's no rush to finish one lesson before the next arrives, so you can relax and play along with the stitch guide, learning interesting techniques and using different threads and bling of various kinds. (You know Ruth--she's all about the Bling!)
Ruth is using Zecca's Why Fit In? bird canvas for this Mystery with a Twist, introducing shots of color with overdyes and sequins and I think I see some holographic Kreinik in those baby blue eyes....http://www.notyourgrandmothersneedlepoint.com/2014/01/those-eyes.html

Kimberly is busy stitching her own Santa Claus. It's very interesting to me that she is also using dimensional elements and icy threads to bring her canvas to life. It is a very different style of Santa so she is solving the same problems as I am in a different way. http://akimberlydesign.blogspot.com/2014/01/his-nose.html

Wednesday, February 5, 2014

Nimble Needle in Atlanta and Robin King have teamed up to offer a monthly club over roughly six months stitching Melissa Shirley's Halloween Village. Robin is stitching the piece and writing up a guide as she works, while the shop will furnish the kits to participants. There's even going to be a private Facebook group where Robin will post progress photos, videos demonstrating hard areas, and allow participants to help each other and encourage each other.http://needlepointstudyhall.blogspot.com/2014/02/halloween-village-adventure-with-robin.html